Silver and Steel
by let.the.cards.fall
Summary: The Mellarks lived in peace until a new president took over and started the Hunger Games again. But when Silver gets picked for the games with somebody who is stone cold and as hard as steel, she feels her chances for victory slipping away. Can she turn his personality around? Find out in this thrilling Hunger Games novel!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games. I only own the** **characters** **I created.**

Silver

I screamed as I was yanked away from an insane tribute's grip and back into reality. _But only a dream,_ I told myself. I heaved a sigh as my mother, Katniss, burst through the doors to my room, her bow ready.

"God! You scared the daylights out of me!" she screamed.

Seconds later, Peeta, my father, ran into my room. He sighed and leaned on the doorframe. _They couldn't have been asleep if they could react that quickly,_ I thought.

But I saw that coming. They both had the same nightmare every night. Weather it was the boy she shot to protect Rue, or the instinct to call himself a mutt and kill her, it was the same, every night. The mutts, the fires, the careers, the nighttime horrors, I'd heard it all. Thanks to my parents.

They had prepared me as best they could, but I could hardly see the horrors that awaited me coming. I shuddered as I recalled the sharp pains coursing through my veins when the tribute stabbed my arm.

Though I'd never had been in the arena, my parents stories were enough to give me frightening nightmares every time I laid my head down on the pillow.

"You'd better go back to bed," Peeta said.

"You know better than to say that," I protested, "I'll ever be able to sleep."

"Just try," Katniss said.

They left my room. I rubbed my eyes and yawned. Today was Reaping day. The Reaping was rigged so that I was going in the games no matter what.

I had never liked anyone. I was taught by my parents that if I got attached to anyone, there was a chance I would have to kill him. But I had my eyes on one boy. Finn Keensnow. He had the slightest of my affections. Unfortunately, I didn't think the odds were in my favor: he was going to be picked because President Snyder would do anything to break my parents.

President Travis Snyder became president after he "contained" the districts. He sent waves upon waves of Peacekeepers, and finally, the rebellion surrendered. He then forced the original District 12 citizens back to 12, which was destroyed. We had to rebuild the entire place. With a bit of help from the wood in the forest, we managed to pull out society back together. But that didn't stop Snyder. While we rebuilt 12 from scratch, he was developing a flawless Hunger Games. Everything would go perfectly because the Gamemakers were computer generated and had no feelings. Each year, the children of the victors would be reaped because it was rigged. So I was going in-guaranteed. That's why my parents prepared me. They would take me into the woods and show me how to hunt, how to light a fire and not attract attention, hot to create a snare, and how to stay safe at night.

But that morning was just like any morning. I would go into the woods and hunt. Then I would go to the Hob, buy and sell, and back in time for breakfast. I waited a few minutes and then crept out the door and into the cold, brisk morning air.

I ran through the Victor's Village and into the streets of 12. 12 had never had a problem with overpopulation. most people didn't live until 40 because of starvation. I was lucky I lived in the Victor's Village.

I arrived at the fence of the district. The Capital never bothered giving electricity back to 12, so the fence was never electrocuted. I was able to get into the woods safely.

I grabbed my bow that was hidden in a tree trunk and my arrows hidden in a hollow log. My mother always came with me into the woods, but today I was alone.

But I wasn't really alone. The beautiful sounds of the streams, the animals hiding in the shadows, the Mockingjays and there beautiful songs. The sounds of the forest rose up in me, filling me to the brim.

I laid on an overhang that had the view of District 12 for hours, smelling the grass. I stared out just beyond the tallest building in District 12, and I thought I saw a glimmer of light, but a voice interrupted me.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he said.

I quickly spun around. I was surprised to see Finn standing behind me.

"How did you find me?" I snapped a bit too harshly. I reminded myself of my mother.

"Followed you."

I was angry and embarrassed, and my cheeks flushed some shade of red. It was that simple for someone to unravel my secret place. Follow me. Without being asked, Finn sat down beside me, his brown hair cleanly buzzed for the reaping. He saw me studying him.

Fin would have been a perfect tribute. Capital darling, strongly built, beautiful smile. He could have sold the underdog from District 12 that out of the blue came back and won it and returned home to his girlfriend that was in tears as he left…

"So, you like my haircut?"

He read my mind.

 _I'm scared they'll choose you,_ I thought to myself, _You'd make a fine opponent. At least we'll sell star-crossed lovers._

"Scared they'll choose me?

He did it again.

"I'm scared for my life. I'm going to be chosen. It's inevitable," I told him, trying to hide my thoughts and feelings about him. But I knew he could see right through the lies.

"Anyway," I said abruptly, "I have to go."

I stood up to leave, and ran off before he could catch me.

"Most girls like my company…" his voice trailed off as I put myself farther away from him.

"Where were you?" My mother asked calmly.

"Somewhere."

"Doesn't matter. Get dressed. We have to leave soon," she replied.

I trudged up to my room. I had so many memories here. Good and bad. Whenever my mother said I couldn't watch a whipping and hanging, I would go up to my room. I had a perfectly good view from my window.

The whipping post was soaked with dry blood. I had heard stories about Gale being whipped and the man from 11 who was shot on the victory tour.

But the worst that happened there was the killing of Haymitch. He was killed for standing up to a Peacekeeper to protect me. I was only five then.

Haymitch had protected me from a Peacekeeper who harassed me because of my parents.

"Your rebellion killed my mother!" I remembered him screaming.

He slapped me and kicked me. My nose was bleeding when Haymitch found us. I came out of the fight with only a few bruises and a bleeding arm that needed stitches, but Haymitch got the worst of it. He had to rot, chained to the whipping post, until he died.

It was awful for my parents. They tried to give him food and water, but the Peacekeepers didn't allow it. They kept 24 hour shifts.

I got dressed in the only dress I owned, and started toward the Hall of Justice. I didn't want to run into Finn again.

After only a few minutes of waiting in the 16-year old pen, the horn sounded, calling all of the eligible citizens to the reaping. I heaved a sigh.

Soon kids flooded in the pens of their age. I tried to spot Finn. He ended up on the other side of the pens. I tensed when I saw his face.

My parents arrived not after that. I saw them walking up to the stage, smiling, acting, and even when they got onstage, they kissed for the cameras. I knew it was all an act even though they loved each other. They were terrified for me inside.

Effie walked up to the stage after the mayor made his opening remarks about bravery and sacrifice.

"Welcome, welcome, to the reaping of the 88th Hunger Games!" Effie said as she clapped. Everyone else was silent.

"Today, we will reap-" she looked at me before beginning again, "one courageous male and female to represent District 12. Here is a special film made just for you all the way from the capital!"

 _War shook our land not long ago,_ I thought to myself. The video started, and president Snyder's voice came over the speakers.

"War shook our land not long ago," he said and I smiled, "The president killed, the districts torn apart. Peace was hard fought. To keep the districts under control, I, along with Congress, decreed that the Hunger Games be resumed. This time, there will be no mistakes. The _lone_ victor, bathed in riches and fame, will be left as a sign of my generosity, but the victor can be re-reaped and can volunteer. Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be _ever_ in your favor."

The screen turned off.

"It is time. As usual, ladies first," she said eyeing me.

She took the first name, knowing it would be mine.

"Silver Mellark."

Effie's voice echoed around the nearby buildings, filling the reaping. There were sad, shocked, relieved, and even excited faces all around me.

The sixteen year olds made a path for me. They already knew I was going to be chosen. I blinked and walked up to the stage, not afraid but not confident either. Effie looked at me with empathetic eyes. She knows how much this hurts my parents, only sitting a few feet away. I look over at them. Peeta was dangerously near tears, but Katniss was a stone. It looked as if the words 'I volunteer' were at the tip of her tongue. She said nothing. It would have destroyed the Capital if she, the ex-mockingjay and tribute, volunteered.

"And now, for the boys," she said. She dug her hand around in the bowl for a while. I waited anxiously in fear. She pulled one name out of the bowl. Off camera, my father braced himself.

"Samuel Aubered," Effie said, loud and clear.

 _Aubered?_ I thought curiously to myself, _Who the heck is Samuel Aubered?_

I immediately got my answer as a lanky, scrawny boy emerge from the 14 year olds. He looked frightened. The careers must have been watching that and laughing. I kept my head held high. I knew the careers saw me as a threat, and with only him my my side, an even bigger threat. _Unattached to him, I could win,_ I thought.

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor," Effie said on the brink of tears.

 _Unattached to him, I could win and come home._

 **I am a huge Hunger Games fan! Enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games. I only own the** **characters** **I created.**

Samuel Aubered. The words rang in my mind as I staggered up to the stage. My vision was hazy. My head spun. People parted abruptly like I had some sort of plague and it was contageous. But why her? Of course the Games were rigged. And on the year I was picked.

Effie made us shake hands and do all the mushy stuff onstage for the cameras, but when it was all finished, we were all ushered offstage and into our rooms.

I paced around the room in the Justice Building with nothing else to do. I would have no visitors-I was an orphan.

I had never been good with girls, but I went crazy every time she looked at me. I would never openly express it, even if it meant the difference between life and death in the arena.

My parents left me with nothing. Mom died and dad left. I lived on the streets for most of my life.

I had been beaten by Peacekeepers because I was out after curfew. They always delivered me back to my old home with no one in it. Sometimes they would just take me to jail because there was no one home. I got used to the foul smell of rotting and blistering wounds in the prison cell. Sometimes the wounds were mine.

If I wasn't picked for the games, I would have had to work in the mines. Which I didn't want to do.

Suddenly, the door opened.

"Time to go," a gruff voice behind the mask of a Peacekeeper said.

I was dragged out of the room. Silver was smiling for the cameras. My face was stone cold, with no expression.

She elbowed me in the side and whispered through a smile, "Come on. Smile!" My heart almost stopped.

We were shoved onto the train along with her parents. Effie introduced me.

"What happened to that Haymitch guy?" I asked, having no intentions of sugarcoating it.

Katniss turned around, Silver put her hand to her forehead, and Peeta stormed out of the room.

"Was it something I said?" I said sarcastically.

"Are you trying to piss my parents off more than they already are?" Silver snapped at me. I had noticed over the years that she wasn't really a people person.

"No," I said innocently.

Silver stormed off to her room.

Goodie, I thought, She already hates me.

I despised Effie's fashion, though I'd only ever had rags for clothes. As the five of us ate dinner in silence, the strands from Effie's elegant dress kept getting in her food. I couldn't help but snicker.

That night, I could hardly sleep in the gorgeous, over-the-top bed they provided for me. I had only slept on a hard mattress, which only was cardboard boxes from the alley and a blanket on top of them. I'd slept on the floor ever since.

Some time during the night, I gave up and slept on the floor. I could feel the rumble of the train below me. I could hear the soft hum of the engine. This is more like home, I thought as I drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

The next few days on the train passed in a blur. I barely listened to Katniss' helpful advice. Silver and I had the "silent treatment" going, and I wasn't going to be the one to break it. Finally, Peeta caught on.

"What is it with you two?" he asked sternly, "You are going to be in the Games together."

I shrugged. I wasn't in the mood to answer that. Silver broke the silence.

"I don't know. I guess we don't like each other. Whoops. I guess the star-crossed-lovers thing backfired on you, dad."

Peeta walked away angered.

"Watch it with him. He could be life and death for you," I told her. I tried to be firm, but the last word I said cracked.

She looked at me hard and asked, "Why is it so hard for you when it comes to me?"  
Goodie! I thought sarcastically, She uncovered my deepest, darkest, secret!

"What? No… Well maybe…" my voice cracked on the word "maybe."

"That's what I thought. Meet me on top of the train when we stop for the night," she said, briskly turning around.

"Well... what if… let's say… you're afraid of...climbing on top of a moving train?" I asked.

"Figure it out, Sam," she said as she trudged out the door.

Later that night, I met Silver on the roof. I had always loved heights. Some nights in 12, I climbed on top of the Justice Building. Most of the time, Peacekeepers found me. Sometimes I fought them off. But most of the time, I let them take me.

"Finally," Silver sighed over the soft winds. Because the train was electronic, the winds weren't that loud.

"What! You never gave me a specific time…" I trailed off as my face turned red and my voice cracked.

"Come on," she said as she dragged me down the ladder and into the last car.

The entire night, she helped me open up. She told me I couldn't be as tensed up around her if we wanted to sell the friends or lovers. I had to be comfortable anyway, for the sake of my own life.

But no matter how hard we tried, the interviews with the capital journalists were awful. I froze up, and she had to do all the talking. I was as hard as steel. I was frozen in place the entire time.

The train ride only lasted a few days and we arrived in the Capital. The outrageous fashions and towering buildings only made it worse.

I had dreamed about the Capital buildings towering over my head, but as soon as I stepped off the train, I realized the buildings were a lot smaller than they were on TV.

I took a look at the tributes. From District one, it was Luxor, the boy, and Sapphire, the girl. Both strong. Luxor good with hand-to-hand combat, but Sapphire good with a spear.

From two, Riker and Ashlar. Riker volunteered immediately, but Ashar volunteered after the name was called. Hesitant, I admitted to myself.

From three, Gear and Huxley. Both were famous inventors. Gear's great-grandparents invented the train that ran through all 12 of the Districts.

Four had Emmen and Marlain. Emmen was strong and tall, his figure built of only muscle. He could swim like a fish, putting his head above water every 15 minutes. Marlain had a scrawny figure. SHe was afraid and moved like a snail. She'll be dead in the first seconds, I thought to myself chuckling softly.

Five had Atom and Bina. Both were lanky and scrawny. Their only armor was their brains, and I knew that wouldn't last them very long.

Six had Apollo and Kina. Both were strong and fast, and if they had a weapon, they could do some form of damage.

Tamar and Hazel were the tributes for seven. Not a threat. At all.

Flax and Yarnn came from eight. Again not a serious threat, but Flax had bits of developing muscles.

From nine it was Barric and Zea. Barric was gaunt, but Zea could hit you dead in the eye with a knife.

Ten had Buck and Eve. Both were cow milkers and couldn't do much. They could do about as much as a cow could do in the Hunger Games.

Spud and Willow came from District eleven. They were both hunters and climbers. Definitely people to watch out for.

Silver and I brought up the rear of the tributes. Besides the careers, Silver was the most feared tribute. I stood somewhat by her side, but most of the time fell into the shadows.

I could only think one thing as the Tribute Building came into view: This is going to be an interesting Hunger Games.


End file.
